The present invention relates to a non-impact type printer, and particularly to a method of pretreating an ink-jet printer before it is used, including performing test printing. Further, the present invention relates to an ink-jet printer capable of carrying out such a pretreating method.
As non-impact type printers are less noisy during printing of characters or images and can perform color printing, they have been used in various fields. For example, an ink-jet printer wherein ink-droplets are ejected from a number of micro-nozzles provided in a printing head onto a material to be printed to carry out a printing operation, and particularly an on-demand type ink-jet printer wherein piezoelectric elements are used in the printing head, has recently prevailed as an output device for a personal computer or a word processor, because it can print on a plain paper and the printer body thereof is easily downsized.
On the other hand, impact type printers have relatively simple structures which makes the maintenance thereof easy and have advantages in running cost due to, e.g., an inexpensive ink ribbon, and thus have widely been used as printers for industrial use, such as a printer for printing on a bankbook or a slip in a bank (hereinafter referred to as a bankbook printer). Nowadays, however, even in the field of bankbook printers, requirements have been risen for, e.g., noise reduction, downsizing and an improvement in operation time (i.e., a time period required for user""s operation between the introducing of a bankbook into the printer and the retaking thereof after being printed). Therefore, it becomes difficult to satisfy these requirements with the impact type printer.
One problem to be solved when an ink-jet printer is used as an industrial printer concerns pretreatment of the ink-jet printer, before it is used, which should be carried out on a secondary transportation. Note, secondary transportation means a step for transporting the ink-jet printer from a secondary base for shipment, storage or sale, wherein the printer is temporarily stored after being delivered from a factory, to an end user to whom the printer is assigned.
Conventionally, it is sometimes desired to confirm whether or not a printing mechanism of the ink-jet printer operates normally after the printer has been forwarded from the factory and before it is assigned to the end user. For instance, there is a case wherein, at a foreign sales base, a function for printing a particular language is optionally provided to the ink-jet printer in addition to an language printing function originally installed therein at the factory. In such a case, it is normal to confirm whether or not the added printing function normally operates, by actually operating the printing head to carry out a test printing.
Upon such a test printing, ink is necessarily supplied to a ink flow passage of the ink-jet printer. Then, it is desired for the ink supplied to the ink flow passage for the test printing to be completely discharged from the ink flow passage before sale, in order to not only prevent the ink from being dried to solidify or leaking and contaminating during the transportation but also make the ink-jet printer after the test printing appeared to be un-used to by a user. For this purpose, the washing operation of the ink flow passage becomes necessary, which burdens the secondary base with much work. Particularly, in some of the application fields of the ink-jet printer (for instance, in the field of bankbook printers) wherein a pigment ink using a pigment as a colorant is used, the washing operation of the ink flow passage is indispensable after the test printing.
In this regard, the ink flow passage of the ink-jet printer is generally filled with a liquid for maintaining a hydrophilic nature before the printer is forwarded from the factory for ensuring and maintaining the hydrophilic nature of the ink flow passage. If the hydrophilic nature of the ink flow passage is deteriorated, there is a tendency that bubbles are mixed in the ink when the ink is supplied to the ink flow passage for the actual use, and as a result, a correct printing becomes difficult. Accordingly, after the above-mentioned test printing, it is necessary to refill the liquid for maintaining hydrophilic nature into the ink flow passage, which further increases a work load on the secondary base.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of pretreating an ink-jet printer before it is used, which makes it possible to carry out test printing for confirming the printing function, without causing a problem of solidification and leakage of ink as well as a problem of a secondhand appearance prior to the delivery of the printer to the user.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a test printing method of an ink-jet printer, which can be carried out in such a pretreating method.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an ink-jet printer capable of carrying out such a pretreating method, and therefore can be used as an industrial printer, using a pigment ink, such as a bankbook printer.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a package for an ink-jet printer suitable for carrying out such a pretreating method.
To accomplish the above objects, the present invention provides a method of pretreating an ink-jet printer before it is used, the ink-jet printer including a printing head provided with a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink-droplets and movable in a reciprocating manner, an ink storage section and an ink supply conduit connecting the printing head with the ink storage section, the method comprising the steps of: (a) filling entirely an ink flow passage including the ink supply conduit with a colored liquid material having a function for maintaining the hydrophilic nature of the ink flow passage, before the ink-jet printer is forwarded from a factory; and (b) carrying out a printing operation by the printing head by using the colored liquid material and observing a character printed with the colored liquid material to determine a printing function, before the ink-jet printer is assigned to a user.
In the above pretreating method, the step (a) may include a step for storing the colored liquid material in the ink storage section.
The ink storage section may include an exchangeable ink tank, and the method may further comprise, after the step (b), a step for replacing the ink tank with another ink tank storing ink.
Also, the method may further comprises, prior to the step (b), a step for replacing a control circuit for printing predetermined language characters to another control circuit for printing the other language characters.
Preferably, the colored liquid material is made from an aqueous solution containing at least a humectant, a dyestuff and a surfactant.
Advantageously, the ink storage section is disposed apart from the printing head, and the ink supply conduit comprises a flexible tube extending between the printing head and the ink storage section.
The present invention also provides a test-printing method for determining a printing function of an ink-jet printer including a printing head provided with a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink-droplets and movable in a reciprocating manner, an ink storage section and an ink supply conduit connecting the printing head with the ink storage section, the method comprising the steps of: (a) filling entirely an ink flow passage including the ink supply conduit with a colored liquid material having a function for maintaining the hydrophilic nature of the ink flow passage; (b) carrying out a printing operation by the printing head by using the colored liquid material; and (c) observing a character printed with the colored liquid material to determine a printing function.
In the above test-printing method, the step (a) may include a step for storing the colored liquid material in the ink storage section.
The ink storage section may include an exchangeable ink tank, and the method may further comprise, after the step (c), a step for replacing the ink tank with another ink tank storing ink.
The method may further include, prior to the step (b), a step for replacing a control circuit for printing predetermined language characters to another control circuit for printing other language characters.
The present invention also provides an ink-jet printer comprising: a printing head provided with a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink-droplets and movable in a reciprocating manner; an ink storage section; an ink supply conduit connecting the printing head with the ink storage section; and a colored liquid material filled entirely in an ink flow passage including the ink supply conduit and having a function for maintaining hydrophilic nature of the ink flow passage; wherein a printing function can be determined through a printing operation performed by the printing head by using the colored liquid material, and through an observation of a character printed with the colored liquid material.
The above ink-jet printer may be used as a bankbook printer.
The present invention further provides a package for an ink-jet printer including a printing head provided with a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink-droplets and movable in a reciprocating manner, an ink storage section and an ink supply conduit connecting the printing head with the ink storage section, the package comprising: a colored liquid material filled entirely in an ink flow passage including the ink supply conduit and having a function for maintaining the hydrophilic nature of the ink flow passage; a first seal member for sealing one opening end of the ink flow passage in a vapor-tight manner; and a second seal member for sealing another opening end of the ink flow passage in a hermetic manner.